Construction Mage - Chapter 30: A Story to Tell

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“Why don’t we just hire a few more porters and regroup into one big party in the dungeon?”

“You think you’re the first chap to think of that? Altar only takes five. Good luck trying to regroup inside when you get placed somewhere different every time. Not every dungeon is so forgiving, like in the first layer of Greymark’s Bastion, where there’s a giant landmark for ya!”

-Overheard conversation in Tavern’s Blessings

***

“Did you get enough rest last night? We can reschedule for tomorrow if you were too nervous to sleep,” Clay offered as he stood before the white pagoda that acted as the entrance to the dungeon, Greymark’s Bastion.

“No need, sir. I slept like a rock. In fact, I didn’t even have the energy to answer any of the other kids’ questions and went straight to bed after supper,” Malik replied with a grin. 

The young man hefted his backpack to better feel its weight and double-checked the straps and pockets. After being drilled all day with a bag full of rocks, he took today’s opportunity seriously. It was the result of Clay instilling the importance of his role into him, specifically how logistics could easily make or break a party.

“Well, just remember what we went over yesterday. I know it’s only been a day, but you should start off with the proper mindset.”

“Sir, you spent half the day chasing me around and whacking me with a stick when I got too slow. Your lessons have been properly conveyed to me. I’m sure I’ll be able to stay out of danger some without damaging any of the contents in the pack, especially if it’s just against the kobolds of the first layer.”

Clay took a moment to regard his new intern, checking his readiness. He couldn’t find anything more to nitpick and was just about to look harder when he caught himself overthinking it. He slapped his cheeks lightly as he reined in his behavior.

No more looking for excuses. No matter how hesitant I may be, I’m going back into the dungeon today. That’s final.

“Well, let’s get going then,” he proclaimed as he took resolute steps to the white pagoda.

It had barely been a week, but it felt like it had been forever for Clay. The sight of numerous other Delvers going about their own business reassured him that there wasn’t anything to be scared of. It showed that humans were capable of overcoming much more than what he had faced.

Shelving any misgivings away, Clay copied what the other parties did, placing a hand on Malik’s shoulder as he reached out for the altar. Choosing to enter among the options, he once again found the surrounding scenery had changed into the withered forest of the first layer.

Holding out his repaired shovel to use as a crutch, he began walking off alongside the colossal landmark in the distance.

“Welcome to the dungeon. Try to stay close. The Feral Kobolds aren’t too dangerous, but that is only if you don’t get caught off guard.”

“Woah, that tree is massive,” the young man marveled. “It really is like we’ve been taken to a new world. They have the sky and everything!”

“Hey! We’re moving. You can gawk later once we find our exit.”

“Um, yes, sir.”

Malik sped up to catch up to his employer, trying his best not to let his gaze wander too much. Thankfully, a distraction soon came to aid his efforts. The sound of the dry branches rang out from their rear, drawing their attention to the biggest rat Malik had ever seen. He instinctively took a step back before he recalled the formation lessons from the day before. Quickly correcting himself, he confirmed Clay’s position and moved to take his assigned position to the rear.

The mountain of a man was standing still, already chanting a spell which tickled the young man’s fancy. He had grown up hearing all about the wonders of magic and what the dungeons had brought. Other than that, the only other chance he would be able to see magic was off in the distance, when the walls were under heavy attack from the monsters. It was an entirely different feeling to watch a spell be cast up close.

Malik watched with wonder as a roundish mass with jagged edges grew in size before shooting out at the monster. It struck and broke apart, but not without a satisfying sound of impact, staggering the monstrous critter. Clay didn’t waste any time and chanted again, repeating his performance.

After that, he hesitated for a moment before deciding to wait for the injured critter to get into range. A swing of the shovel greeted the kobold with enough force to make Malik wince. The kobold was sent flying, crashing into the branches, snapping them in a futile attempt to cushion the impact. Once things settled, it was clear that the Feral Kobold was never able to regain its footing again.

With the kill confirmed, it was then Malik’s turn to shine. The young man hadn’t spent his time in the Delver enclosure in vain. He knew tidbits of information, especially pertaining to matters that involved making money. As a result, he had taken the two most profitable profession classes for the first layer prior to coming. They were naturally Leatherworker, thanks to all the kobolds, and Cook, due to similar reasons. There wasn’t much else in terms of other materials on the outskirts of the first layer.

While Clay had the required skills to skin and butcher himself, he didn’t mind having him learn the same set of skills. It would take off the burden on him and speed up their progress.

Without having to put down his pack, Malik dexterously took out his employer’s skinning knife in one of the pockets and got to work.

Guided by the skills gifted by the dungeon, he expertly sank the edge of the knife at the perfect depth, seamlessly dragging it along the entire carcass. Within mere minutes, a complete piece of hide and neatly butchered cuts of meat were neatly wrapped and stowed away.

Clay didn’t have the leeway to watch him work throughout the process, though. He was still nervous about being ambushed or any traps they could set off. He couldn’t help but glance around nervously for signs of any advanced kobold variants.

“I’m done, sir,” young Malik reported.

The towering man cleared his throat as he composed himself before nodding.

“Not bad. Let’s keep it up like this. Between the two of us, we should be able to carry quite the haul.”

***

Malik skipped through the streets of the third ring with a grin on his face. It was as if he were immune to fatigue, and the backpack that was the size of his body weighed nothing at all. He kept it up all the way until he returned to the orphanage on the outskirts of town. There, the hale middle-aged man, whom some called father, stood waiting for his return. When he spotted Malik, a gentle smile first bloomed in his eyes, then down his face.

“Father Thigar, I’m back!”

“I see that child. How was your trip? From your expression, everything must’ve gone well?”

“Yeah! In half the morning, I made as much as I used to in a day. When I got into the—”

Father Thigar held up a hand to calm the young man down.

“Save your stories for the others. Since you have energy to spare today, I doubt they’d leave you alone until you told them all the details about your adventure a dozen times over.”

“Um, very well, then.”

“Don’t just stand there, boy. Come in. It won’t be long before noon. Go get yourself cleaned up before we eat.”

Racing into the orphanage, Malik did just that.

The moment he came out onto the common area after wiping himself clean and stowing his things away, every single little gremlin in the vicinity snapped their gaze toward him. A moment of silence fell, a brief calm before the storm, then all hell broke loose.

The younger children rushed toward him while those who were older, like him, just watched on with schadenfreude. Before he could get his bearings straight, he was bombarded with questions.

“Malik, what was the dungeon like? Did you kill any monsters?”

“Was that big man strong?”

“Did you piss yourself and run away like a scaredy cat?”

“Umm, calm down, all of you. One at a time, or I won’t be able to answer you!”

Sighing at his predicament, Malik quickly guided the crowd off to where he could have a seat. Watching the curious eyes all around him, he shrugged as he tried to put his experiences into words.

“Yes, I did go into the dungeon. It was outdoors, looking just like the outside, but the area we were in was filled with dead trees. There, we encountered Feral Kobolds, menacing creatures with sharp fangs as long as an adult’s finger.” He took a pregnant pause, watching as the children’s eyes sparkled as their imagination went wild. “Then my employer, the man you saw before, began chanting. His hand shone with light as magic gathered before his palm. Within a few seconds, it launched straight at the beast, knocking it back—”

The telling of his adventures had a few embellishments, making it much more enthralling than it actually was. Their morning delve didn’t last long either, so his story quickly finished. With dozens of small eyes hungry for more, Malik quickly thought up other things to say.

“Um, once we sold off all our spoils, I returned to my employer’s place, a strange house out in the fourth ring. There, he continued to show me a few things, and I helped him move in some furniture in exchange.”

“A few things?” one of the children parroted with a confused look on their face. “What things?”

“Well, like how to run—no, interesting things like the toilet! A new type of privy, but built inside the house.”

“Ew, wouldn’t that stink?”

“No, you can dispose of the waste afterward. It is quite nice, actually. Much better than having to squat on the ground. I don’t think I’ve ever—”

For some strange reason, the topic of their discussion strayed quite far off, but the children were equally receptive to it. After all, anything new excited them, as it was a breath of fresh air in their lives. 

Father Thigar could only ruefully shake his head when he learned of the contents of their discussion just before lunch. However, he didn’t stop them right away. Seeing their excitement, he even listened in. 

It surely had nothing to do with having his own interest piqued.

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